Ogden, UT – Weber State's defense came to play in the Big Sky Conference opener, shutting down Portland State and leading the 24^th-ranked Wildcats to a 43-16 win at Stewart Stadium.
 
Weber State held a normally potent Viking offense to six series of three-and-out, including four straight at one point in the game, then came up with two late turnovers when PSU was in desperation mode. As a result, the Wildcats out-gained the Vikings 535 yards to 240 and cruised to a 1-0 start in league play.
 
Portland State is 0-2 after two weeks of play and will host fifth-ranked South Dakota in a non-conference home opener next Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium.
 
The Vikings were matched with a team that has built its reputation on defense the past several seasons. Weber State held the Vikings to just 18 yards in the first quarter to set the tone.
 
But the Vikings offense eventually got a boost from the defense. PSU made a fourth-down stop against the Wildcats at the PSU 29 on the final play of the first quarter. The offense took over at the start of the second quarter and marched 71 yards downfield for a tying touchdown. Running back Quincy Craig dominated the series with 51 total yards. He had a 37-yard rushing burst in the middle of the drive, then wrapped it up by catching a four-yard pass from quarterback Dante Chachere for the score. That tied the game at 7-7.
 
The teams traded field goals to make it 10-10. PSU got a 42-yarder from Mathias Uribe, his second of the season.
 
A 61-yard run by the Wildcats' Clarence Butler sparked a late first-half score. The Wildcats went in on a one-yard run, but a two-point conversion attempt was intercepted by Peyton Wing. WSU led 16-10 at the break.
 
Each team ran 33 plays in the half, but the Wildcats stout run defense in the first quarter held the Vikings down. WSU had 227 yards, while the Vikings had only 132.
 
Weber State had the halftime lead, but took control of the game in the third quarter. The Wildcat defense forced the Vikings into three straight three-and-outs and -4 yards in the period.
 
A 25-yard Wildcat field goal to open the fourth quarter extended the lead to 22-10.
 
The Vikings finally got a first down in their first series of the fourth quarter, but were again stopped after five plays.
 
The Wildcats effectively put the game on ice with an 83-yard scoring drive on their first series of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Richie Munoz scrambled in from nine yards out and it as 29-10 Weber State with 10:41 remaining to be played.
 
Portland State finally got on the board in the second half after a 75-yard drive. Will Haskell hit Branden Alvarez on a five-yard toss to narrow the score to 29-16 with 5:36 to play. But Wildcats running back Damon Bankston finished off the Vikings with a 75-yard touchdown run on the ensuing series.
 
Bankston had 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Weber State, while Munoz passed for 219 yards, one passing TD and scored one rushing TD.
 
Craig led the Vikings with 93 total yards on 14 carries and five receptions. Chachere completed 10-22 passes for 61 yards, and rushed 15 times for 57 yards, which included three sacks.
 
On defense, linebacker Michael Montgomery had a career-high 16 tackles, including two for losses, and a sack. His linebacker mate Wing also had a career-high with 13 tackles and two tackles for loss.
 

GAME NOTES

• This was the earliest start, by date, to a Big Sky Conference season in Portland State history. The Vikings had a season-opening Big Sky Conference game back in 1998 at Eastern Washington (a 30-27 PSU overtime win), however that game was played on Sept. 12.
• For the fourth straight meeting with the Vikings, Weber State was nationally ranked, this time 24^th. WSU has won three of those four games.
• Dante Chachere's second-quarter touchdown pass to Quincy Craig was the 37^th of his career, tying him with Juston Wood for 10^th all-time in PSU history.
• PSU is 12-16 all-time in Big Sky openers, 9-9 at home, 3-7 on the road.